The Angel's Eyes
by pocketcucco
Summary: Colette's blank eyes haunted her. Sheena/Colette.


For Tales of Femslash Week's Tragedy prompt! Some sad Sheena/Colette.

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 _ **The Angel's Eyes**_

Colette's blank eyes haunted her.

Sheena could only hold her gaze for a few seconds at a time before she had to turn away. Her heart broke a little more every time.

She was keeping watch at their campsite beneath the Fooji Mountains that night. It felt so _good_ to be home in Tethe'alla again, surrounded by familiar sights and the promise of soon returning to Mizuho. She had so much she wanted to tell them about Sylvarant and that world's Chosen. She wasn't the monster they thought she was. She was pure, and cheerful, and good.

 _Was_ all of those things, Sheena reminded herself with a pang in her chest. That angel, Remiel, had changed her into something completely different.

She looked up from the campfire again.

Colette was still standing across from her, staring at nothing. Her wings were spread behind her, beautiful and terrifying.

"Hey, Colette," Sheena said, whispering so she wouldn't wake the others.

Colette didn't respond, either because she couldn't hear or she didn't care.

Sheena sighed and ran a hand over her eyes.

A set of light footsteps approached from her left. Sheena lifted her face, hopeful-

Raine was standing beside her, alert despite the fact that she'd just woken up. Her mouth was turned down in a frown.

"I was going to take over watch for you," she said, sinking down to a sitting position beside Sheena. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, thanks."

Raine raised a suspicious eyebrow. Sheena sighed.

"I'm worried about Colette," she said.

"I know. I am, too."

"Do you think we can help her? I know Lloyd's convinced, but... It's hard to share his optimism when I look at her. She's so...so..." Sheena threw her hands in the air. "She's not the same person I met when I came to Sylvarant."

Raine nodded. "I've known Colette since she was a girl. Seeing her in this state is difficult."

"Yeah. I'm sorry, I know it's harder for you and Lloyd and Genis. Especially after the whole thing with Kratos, too."

"It's okay. You have a relationship with Colette too. She's very special to all of us."

 _Special._ Sheena's lips quirked into a tiny smile she hoped Raine didn't see. _Yeah, I guess you could say that's how I feel about her._

"Why don't you get some sleep? I'll take care of the rest of the watch," Raine told her. "We're going to Meltokio first thing in the morning. We'll need our strength."

"I will in a bit," Sheena said, pushing herself to her feet. Her legs ached after sitting for so long. "I'm going to take a short walk. Clear my head. Do you think..." She looked in Colette's direction. "Do you think Colette will go with me? She follows Lloyd, but..."

"I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to ask. Just be careful."

Sheena circled the campfire to stand by Colette's side. The girl didn't budge, didn't so much as look in her direction.

"Um... Colette? Do you want to come on a walk with me?" Sheena asked. She started to put her hand out, but remembered how violently Colette reacted to some touch. She pulled her hand back and let it hang at her side.

Colette didn't move – not until Sheena started to walk away, defeated, and realized the girl was trailing after her.

Sheena smiled. Just a bit.

They walked some distance from the camp, until Sheena thought they were far enough away that Raine and the others wouldn't be able to hear them. The forest near the Fooji region was quiet, save for the nightly chorus of crickets and other insects. Sheena felt a little more confident now.

"Colette, I don't know if you can hear me," she said, "but I know you're in there somewhere, right? Lloyd thinks so, and I do too. If you can hear me, could you...do something? Anything?"

Sheena felt ridiculous asking, but part of her was still hopeful. She wrung her hands at her front and waited.

Colette, of course, did nothing but stare at her – _through_ her.

"Colette, please. I miss you. Come back to us."

Sheena put her hands on the girl's shoulders and gripped them tightly.

"Please-"

Colette's hands shot up. She grabbed Sheena by the wrist and pulled her away. All it took was a simple twist of her arms for Sheena to go flying.

She hit the ground with a startled grunt. Leaves crackled as she pushed herself up, panting, brushing dirt and stray locks of hair from her eyes.

Colette was just _standing_ there. She wasn't even _looking_ at Sheena. She didn't care!

Sheena stood up and stomped up to her. She'd never felt so hurt, so frustrated in her life – at least not since the incident with Volt, but this was a different sort of hurt.

"Why?" Sheena demanded, her fists balled at her sides. "Why is this happening to you? Of all the people in the world – in _both_ worlds – you never deserved this! You're too good for them, Colette. You have to fight it! I know you're in there!"

Tears were forming at the corners of Sheena's eyes. She brushed them away angrily. She felt like such a fool. Colette was the one who needed her now, not the other way around.

"Please. Please come back to me," she said, quieter now. "Please."

There was, of course, no response at all.

Sheena turned angrily on her heel and walked away. She could hear Colette trailing behind her, each step measured and calm.

Raine was still sitting beside the campfire, staring up at the sky. She turned, startled – but saw it was Sheena and Colette and relaxed.

"Welcome back. Did you-"

She stopped when she saw the tears that were still running down Sheena's face. But Sheena waved her away and all but threw herself into her sleeping bag.

"I'm fine," she said. "I'm okay."

She closed her eyes, but all she saw were Colette's blank eyes dancing in the darkness.


End file.
